Extraction of Natural Fibers by High-Speed Blender to Produce Cellulose Sheet Composite

Abstract

This research reports the extraction of cellulose obtained from natural fibers. Agave cantala leaf is the resource of the cellulose. The extraction process of the fibers has been carried out in two stages; the first one is the immersion of the fiber in a chemical solution, and the second one is a mechanical process using a high-speed blender. The high-speed blender has been set at 7500 RPM, with processing time varies in 15, 30, and 45 minutes. The homogenized size of cellulose has been processed using ultrasonic homogenizer for 60 minutes. Cellulose sheet has been prepared by casting homogenous solution at temperature of 90 °C in 4 hours in an oven until dry. The result of this process is a cellulose sheet, with a thickness of approximately 40 µm. Cellulose Sheet Composite has been produced by the addition of unsaturated polyester resin as a matrix that has been carried out through a vacuum infusion process. The result shows that the optimum time of the high-speed blending process is 15 minutes, which is shown by the highest mechanical properties compared to other processing time. The Scanning Electron Microscopy indicates that the cellulose fibers has a good bonding with the unsaturated polyester matrix. Further characterization has been performed on the Cellulose Sheet Composite using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, and Thermal gravimetric analyzer.